Tenth international congress of plant protection,Brighton, November 1983

Abstract

Field trials were conducted to control rodent pests of wheat crop by improving bait acceptability through taste enhancers (additives). Egg shell, egg yolk, yeast, minced meat, sheep blood and chicken blood were mixed 2% by weight individually in a bait base of broken rice and wheat flour. Brodifacoum and bromadiolone bait with egg shell additive ranked first, and egg yolk second, in preference over other additive poison baits and poison bait without additive. Poison baiting yielded 93.3% and 86.7% reduction in rodent population with brodifacoum and bromadiolone (0.005% each), respectively. Three baitings, at tillering, flowering and maturity stage of the crop, gave 91.0% tiller damage reduction with brodifacoum and 86.0% with bromadiolone as compared to control (untreated). It is concluded that three poison baitings containing egg shell additive should be initiated at tillering stage followed by flowering and maturity of the wheat crop for increased yield.